About

14 March 2018

Fitzgerald welcomes extra places on teacher training courses

Local TD Frances Fitzgerald has
today welcomed the announcement that extra
places will be available on teacher training courses.

Following
consultation with the Irish Universities Association, the Minister for
Education has announced an expansion of the number of places on post primary
teacher education courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. There
will also be additional places provided in the priority areas of STEM, Irish
and Foreign Languages.

“Some concerns have been raised
recently with me by local school principals regarding teacher supply issues and
I have consistently raised these with Minister Bruton. Some measures have previously
been announced to support schools in managing these issues; including expanding
the number of days a teacher can work while on a career break. Today the
Minister is taking further action by expanding the number of places on teacher
education programmes with a heavy emphasis on certain subject areas at post
primary level, to ensure that schools can get the right mix of subject
teachers.

“The Government have set out ambitious
strategies in STEM, foreign languages and digital, as part of our overall goal
to have the best education and training service in Europe by 2026. We are now
providing additional places to ensure the system can respond more readily to
our national priorities and the needs of schools.

“Teaching is a fantastic profession
for any young person considering their options, with a starting salary for a
teacher straight out of college of nearly €36,000, increasing to €37,600 from
October 2020. An additional 3,000 leadership posts have also recently been
announced, meaning 1 in 3 teachers in our schools will now be in a leadership
position.

“Teachers play a central role in
achieving the Government’s ambition to make the Irish education and training
service the best in Europe within a decade. I have the deepest respect and appreciation for all those who work with our
nation’s children, to teach them, to enhance their learning, to support their
all-round welfare and development and I will
continue my work with local schools and Principals on any issues.”